It's time to rev up the collector car industry in B.C.

THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - The British Columbia government is committed to making changes to the modified collector vehicle program to allow specialty cars and trucks, up to and including 1974, into the program.

ICBC currently has a modified collector vehicle program that allows individuals with vehicles registered as a 1958 model year or older to apply for modified collector vehicle status.

At the request of the Specialty Vehicle Association of B.C., the threshold for eligibility will be expanded from 1958 to 1974 to allow eligible modified vehicles within the "muscle car" era into the program.

"The collector car industry is very important to B.C. and we want to open up the opportunity for more people to join in the experience of owning a true 'classic car' and to be able to participate in classic car shows," Todd Stone, Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure said. "We want to see this specialty vehicle program remain viable, preserve vehicle history and evolve with the times. That's why we are opening up the opportunity to owners of specialty cars within the 'muscle car' era."

In addition, the program will be expanded to include replica (non-original) vehicles resembling North American production-built 1942 model year or earlier. People will be able to register the replica as it looks (for example, registering it as a 1937 Ford rather than 2014, when it was built).

"We're pleased to expand our popular collector vehicle program for our customers so that more car enthusiasts can participate," ICBC's president and CEO Mark Blucher said. "We've seen the number of collector vehicles nearly double to 26,000 over the last decade in B.C."

ICBC will be incorporating these expansions to the modified collector vehicle program in B.C. upon completion of its Transformation Program, a modernizing of ICBC's technologies and processes, improving customer service. ICBC will look to accept applications early in 2017, allowing pre- approved motor enthusiasts to register and obtain their modified collector plates in summer 2017.

"This change is welcome news to the collector car enthusiasts of B.C. and a great step forward for the hobby," Specialty Vehicle Association of BC director Bob Kelly said. "This process started just over three years ago, in response to the Specialty Vehicle Association of BC memberships' request to update the Modified Collector Program, which was last changed over 10 years ago. My personal thanks go out to Minister Todd Stone and to the ICBC team for working closely with our industry to make this happen. It is gratifying to see viable changes made to keep this wonderful program going both now and into the future."

Last month, Premier Christy Clark announced an amendment to the Motor Vehicle Act Regulation, which makes it possible for owners of specialty cars without mud flaps or fenders to operate legally on the roads. The new rules allow owners of specialty cars to operate their vehicles without mudguards or mud flaps where the highway is dry and paved. Qualifying vehicles must have been built in 1940 or earlier, or be replicas of this vintage.

And in spring 2015, a new collector car registration process came into effect, streamlining the process for registering an unfinished collector vehicle imported from outside of B.C. The new process allows vehicle owners to register their collector or vintage vehicles purchased from out of province before completing restorations to their vehicle, saving vehicle owners time, money and effort, and creating peace of mind for owners that proper paperwork has been filed.

ICBC is conducting a survey this summer to help inform future changes to the collector and vintage vehicle program. People who are interested can fill out a questionnaire, which will take approximately eight to 10 minutes to complete. ICBC aims to keep the program popular and sustainable, and to meet the evolving needs of the collectible and vintage vehicle community. The Specialty Vehicle Association of BC will be distributing the survey to its members.

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